THERE was not an increase in the number of children being put into care over the festive period, but some parents did ask their children to leave the family home, according to a council chief.

This follows claims by a councillor in Gloucestershire that there is an annual rise in the number of parents asking for their children to be put into care over the Christmas and new year period so they can go out partying.

But Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member with responsibility for children and young people’s social care in Worcestershire, said it is not the case in the county.

“We have not experienced a rise in the number of children being put into care over the festive period, although there have been parents requesting that their teenage son or daughter leaves the family home,” she said.

“There are a minority of parents who do not accept responsibility for their own teenager’s behaviour, or they feel that the state should care for them if their behaviour is challenging or they are not receiving any income from them, even though they could safely care for them with some support.

“In these circumstances we always try to offer practical support to enable young people to stay within their families as this is often the safest place for them to be.”

In Worcestershire, there has been a gradual rise in the number of children needing to be looked after, which is in line with a national trend, said Coun Eyre.

She said children only become looked after following an assessment to ensure there is no other safe option within their own family.

“We currently have 624 children in care, with 95 planned adoptions taking place. However, figures frequently change,” she said.

“Most children are placed with foster carers initially but some need more specialist care and will be placed in children’s homes.

“The cost of caring for each child is dependent on their needs and type of placement required to meet those needs.

“At present, we are looking for foster carers who could offer a home to pre-school age children, teenagers and sibling groups.

“We would particularly like to hear from families from ethnic minority communities or from those, who through work or family links, would have the ability to care for children and young people from these communities.”

To fin dout more about fostering, visit Worcestershire County Council’s website worcestershire.gov.uk and follow the links for fostering through the A-Z of services, or call 0800 0282158.